1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and a method for turning a wireless TV on/off, and more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for turning both the transmitter and receiver of a wireless TV on/off with a single operation of a remote control.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a broader sense, a wireless TV refers to a TV which can be installed anywhere regardless of electricity, cables, and antenna wires, as in the case of a conventional wireless appliance. In a narrower sense, a wireless TV refers to a TV having a screen separated from the body and operated wirelessly. The present invention will be described later based on the latter sense.
A wireless TV includes both a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter corresponds to the body of the TV and is adapted to receive ground waves from broadcasting stations or satellite broadcasting signals and perform necessary signal processing. The transmitter is connected via wires to an antenna for receiving ground waves from broadcasting stations or satellite broadcasting signals or to a cable for cable TV and is fixedly installed in a specific position. The receiver corresponds to the screen of the TV and is adapted to receive broadcasting signals from the transmitter and display them on the screen. The receiver performs wireless communication with the transmitter via a wireless LAN and is freely positioned anywhere within a signal radius without being fixed in a specific position. The receiver receives broadcasting signals, including video signals, and control signals for controlling the operation of the receiver from the transmitter and displays the broadcasting signals.
As briefly shown in FIG. 1, a wireless TV according to a related art includes a transmitter (Tx) 10, a receiver (Rx) 20, and a remote control 30 used to adjust the channel and volume of the TV. The signals generated by the remote control 30 may be RF signals. As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 2, the transmitter 10 and receiver 20 transmit and receive broadcasting signals and control signals via wireless transceivers 11 and 21, such as wireless LANs. The broadcasting signals include video and audio signals regarding the contents of broadcasting programs and the control signals are composed of preset codes for control.
Referring to FIG. 2, the procedure for tuning the wireless TV on/off according to the related art will now be described. When the remote control 30 transmits an on/off signal while the transmitter 10 and the receiver 20 of the wireless TV are in normal operation, a remote control signal receiver 24 of the receiver 20 receives the on/off signal and sends it to a power controller 22 of the receiver 20, which is turned on/off accordingly. As such, the on/off command from the remote control 30 can turn the receiver 20 on/off, but not the transmitter 10, according to the related art.
That is, in the related art, the control signals transmitted and received between the transmitter 10 and receiver 20 of the wireless TV do not include a signal for turning the power on/off. The transmitter 10 and receiver 20 are separately turned on/off by their own power controllers 12 and 22. When the user wants to turn the wireless TV off, he can turn the receiver 20 off with the remote control 30, but not the transmitter 10. Instead, he must approach the transmitter 10 and switch it off. Suppose that the transmitter 10 of the wireless TV is installed in the bedroom and the receiver 20 is located in the living room. When the user wants to turn the TV off while watching it in the living room, he must turn the receiver 20 off with the remote control 30 and then move into the bedroom to turn the transmitter 10 off. Otherwise, only the receiver 20 is turned off and the transmitter 10 is still turned on. This unnecessarily wastes power and is inconvenient to the user.
When the transmitter 10 is turned on and the receiver 20 is off, it is not certain whether or not the transmitter 10 transmits radio signals but the screen does not display images. In either case, in the related art, it is impossible to turn both the transmitter 10 and receiver 20 off with a single operation of the remote control and the user must approach the transmitter 10 to manually turn it off to avoid unnecessary power consumption.